Que Pasa
Over the past several weeks, the bull dorado catches have dazzled recent visiting anglers. Multiple fish have tipped the scale at 35-, 40-, and even a few have been in the 50-pound class. Esaul Valdez won the Dorado Shootout last week with a 57-pounder. Is it just a flurry, or will the bite continue throughout August?
It’s a good bet that some teams entering the 23rd Annual Bisbee Offshore will take a chance in the Dorado Jackpot. Meanwhile, rumors of BIG BLUE MARLIN are driving up the team count. According to July 26’s CatchStat, 72 teams are signed up. Could 2022 be the year the Team Count goes beyond the 100 mark?
Registration for the event is Tuesday afternoon, August 2 at Buena Vista Oceanfront and Hot Springs Resort. Stay tuned…
Tijuana Bull Ring
The sand bass bite in Imperial Beach was good for most of the week, but it has slowed down quite a bit. They were biting squid on the knocker rigs, sardines, anchovy, and plastics tipped with squid. The afternoon and evening hours work best. …Fishdope.com
Coronado Islands / Rockpile
There have been very few reports from the Islands for the fourth day in a row as our contacts are all focused on the excellent offshore fishing for yellowtail, dorado, yellowfin, and bluefin offshore from San Diego and outside of the Islands.
The most recent dope has been about the decent fishing for yellowtail and all the barracuda and calico bass you want.
Private boaters are doing best for the yellows by slow-trolling sardine or mackerel.
The weather side of North Island is again proving to be a productive area. The Middle Grounds and the kelp spots below South Island are also worth looking at. These later locations are jugged with barracuda and calico bass. …Fishdope.com
FYI – Tuna Pens…
These are in the general area of the 425. They are moving around a bit day-to-day but never stray too far away from there.
Although reported to be slower now, we have heard of many bites coming from near the pens as of late, so close that people are breaking off fish on the pens themselves. You must stay at least 250 meters (820 feet) away from the tuna pens. If you don’t, you risk losing your boat and landing in a Mexican jail. As tempting as it is to get right on these pens, we highly advise against it. It is unsafe and illegal to get right up on their gear, and it could very well anger the Mexican officials who regulate our ability to fish their waters. …Fishdope.com
Hidden Bank / Upper 500 / 238 / Banda Bank
Kelp paddy yellowtail and dorado is the story in this area.
There is a chance of running into some yellowfin or bluefin, but the #1 catches are yellowtail and dorado. …Fishdope.com
Ensenada
Inshore and bottom fish are WFO! … Sammy Susarrey Amador
Myself and my girlfriend Maria making only her second fishing trip and her first offshore trip we still managed 8 yellows, 2 dorado and 2 small yellowfin with more lost fish than I would have liked. We hooked most of our fish on a small paddy just west of the 238 but there were many boats fishing the entire area pulling in fish. Yellows and dorado from the paddy were caught and hooked on sardines, mackerel, and surface irons. The tuna and 1 dorado were caught trolling daisy chain cedar plugs. Good times for sure…. It’s 4 Reels
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/ensenada-offshore-7-31-22-on-the-its-4-reels.801137/
San Quintin
Captain Jaime pangas. San Quintin’s yellowtail are going off. There has been a good steady bite for the last couple of weeks – the seabass are spotty, but they are here, mostly schoolies. There are also good reds and lingcod. …Juan Cook
Bay of Los Angeles
Thanks to the Community of Bahía de los Angeles, 🙏 thanks to the fishermen, to the authorities who accompanied and supported us, we are extremely excited about their assistance in supporting the economic reactivation through this type of events. ♥️ The Baja California Cup of Sport Fishing continues in San Quintín this coming August 26 and 27 in its third stage.
All the results can now be reviewed at www.copabajacalifornia.org
Thank you! Thanks to the community of Bay of Los Angeles, 🙏 thanks to the fishermen and fishermen, the authorities who accompanied us and supported us, we are very excited for your assistance in support of economic revitalization through this kind of events. ♥️ The Baja California Cup of Sport Fishing continues in San Quintín this coming August 26 and 27 in its 3rd stage. All results now can be found at http://www.copabajacalifornia.org
Here are some photos of the recent trip to BOLA from July 5 to 12. Bait was tough to get and had to head to the Seven-Mile Reef for bait, but the yellowtail action was great. We hired Igor’s Sportfishing for a day and got Igor as our captain. We usually hire a panga for a day, then use my buddy’s panga for the rest of the trip. We speared some grouper and pargo. …Johnny 12fish
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/bahia-de-los-angeles.800635/
Baja Sur
Cedros Island
It has been amazing for every one of our guests since the start of the 2022 season of Cedros Outdoor Adventures. Not only did everyone get several yellowtail or calico, but many got easy early limits.
The average size of the yellowtail is in the high 20 pounds, with some up to 40. Most of the catches of all species have been to the south of the Island. The boats venturing north have nothing much to show. Every year is different here; in previous years, the North was the place to catch record sizes of every species. The kelp is still there, but not much is biting.
Not only yellowtail and calico but also sheepshead, halibut, and whitefish are biting. Fortunately, neither bonito nor the red crab is eager to bite the lures. It has been a mix of many options to fish with different results: surface, bait-trolling, heavy jigs, and from time to time, a slice of mackerel. The best option is live bait that our skippers help collect right outside the jetty.
We have a family-friendly approach at Cedros Outdoor Adventures. It’s always lovely to see groups of friends fishing together, also families with kids and grandparents.
It helps that you can choose from our many combinations of rooms and pangas capacity, from single to three or four per panga if you prefer.
We just had an opening for four seats on a Premium package for September 26 to 30, 2022, and another two spots on a Basic package from September 26 to October 3, 2022. Cedros Outdoor Adventures www.cedrosoutdooradventures.com. Phone 619.793.54.19
Bahia Ascensión
Calm morning on the Pacific, albeit a surprisingly good South swell to add some excitement to my launch. I needed a reasonable lull in the waves hitting the launch area for 15 to 20 seconds to push off the beach, get the engine started, and get out of harm’s way.
Even before I pushed the boat off the trailer, I changed my mind several times before attempting it. But, in the end, I made it out, spent a beautiful morning looking around offshore in flat, calm conditions, and then got back on the beach with very little drama. To add to the calm conditions, I was not bothered by any fish all morning.
One can get an idea from the photo just how greasy it was out there at sunrise, but it didn’t really capture the beauty of the prismatic effect of the bit of virga from that one cloud. Ya’ had to be there, I guess. …Ross Zoerhof
Loreto
Danzante Island just east of “submarine rock” has been providing great action on the 10 to 15 pound dorado. There have been tons of small peanuts mixed in with the bigger fish. They all have been joining the melee. The fly fishing crowd is doing well with the bigger versions of assorted streamers. If you want to “match the hatch” there is nothing better than a silver flash streamer to imitate this season’s sardina. Bigger bull dorado have been hitting 6 inch mackerel out past Punta Lobo. Twenty five pound fish are hanging out under some very small sargasso patches. Billfish have yet to come in to the recent “hotspots” close to town in any numbers.
Roosterfish should be slashing up the chumline starting this month. There have been small roosters mixed in with the peanuts at the close to shore action spots. Great summer Baja weather with many partly overcast days.…Rick Hill, Click Here
This year was the best dorado fishing I can remember in Loreto – ever – and words cannot do it justice! I went a few days earlier than the moment when the dorado gates from heaven opened, and those fish never stopped pouring in. Regardless of the weather, sea conditions, or availability of sardina in the harbor, you had to watch the birds and look for seaweed to locate them. We would cruise by the Sargasso patches and throw out a few sardina. Then if we had boils, we would cast a few times and collect all the dorado that would eat our flies. As soon as it slowed down, we looked elsewhere; sometimes the guide spotted dorado swimming around on the surface. It was just a hoot, and it also seemed like the dorado were always hungry.
As a bonus, these fish were extra strong, and each pulled like a freight train. The longer we fished, the more showed up, and they were bigger fish on average. Our poor reels took quite a beating. The fish count for most boats was between 25 and 50; on some special days, it could have been double those stats. Also, three people in one panga racked up close to 150 in one day, which was extraordinary. After such an amazing season, I’m hoping that with all this extra dorado spawn, next year will be fantastic as well.
There were very few billfish this year. I only heard of around five caught in a span of four weeks. Personally, I never saw even one, but with all the dorado excitement, I didn’t miss them.
We had to hunt for roosterfish, but it was worth it. Last year we could always count on at least 50 to 70 smaller roosters in their usual island cove hangouts. This year, the honey holes were in different locations, and we caught around 30 at each visit. The fish were larger, ranging from 8 to 20 pounds. I got one around 25 pounds and topped it off with one around 40, all on cast flies. The roosterfish didn’t like to fly down deep this year, but instead, they wanted it on top just like the dorado, so I changed from a clear tip to a full floating line, and it was on.
A small group of us “regulars” always stay at the Oasis Hotel, which is right on the beach. We all like their rooms, staff, and service, which has its own “culture” of family, and old-world charm. We also fish with the same guides, year after year, who navigate us through the best fishing the Sea of Cortez offers regardless of ever-changing weather and water conditions. Our days begin at dawn when we get up and eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant, then we walk out to the boats already packed with a load of sardina for chum. Most days, we fish until about 1 or 2 p.m. and return exhausted, happy, and ready for lunch.
To answer the many different questions, I get about Loreto fishing out of a Panga for dorado, roosterfish, and billfish, here is a list of what I use:
For fly casting: I use a 12-wt. Loomis NRX flyrods to cast airheads and crease flies. I bring two and use a full floating line on one and a 26-ft. sink tip on the other to make it easy to pick up and re-cast.
I also use a 9-wt. Sage Salt HD for casting an SA Clear Tip to Roosters and sometimes to small dorado. I use twisted leaders with a swivel, then tie on the tippet.
For trolling: I use a Sage 16-wt., 8-ft. rod with a RIO Sailfish 30-ft. Shooting Head. I make my own running line with about 120 feet of 60-lb. mono., with 50-lb. mono loops on each end. I use Tibor reels on all my rods.
I use the Tibor Signature #11/12 for casting, a Tibor Sig. #12 for my trolling rod and for the 9-wt. I use the #9/10.
In Loreto, I like the weight-forward, heavy, shorter heads that SA, RIO, and now Cortland have come out with (26–30-foot heads). The shorter heads and twisted leaders help turn over big, air-resistant flies, contributing to success against dorado. Fly lines take a beating in 100-degree heat combined with the stress of being pulled off the reel by big, mean fish, then cranked back in under a load.
I use a locator fly called the Chicken in blue, red, or pink for trolling.
This pattern imitates the Flying Fish. Dorado will eat anything you throw at them, but they wise up quickly. When you see how they will rush your fly, then dodge it at the last minute, you realize that the more natural-looking flies have the best success. Crease flies in almost any color make a big, splashy motion on top with zigzag action and are another great menu item. Tan airheads without flash are tops for rooster fishing and never seem to disappoint.
My equipment choices are based on 22 years of trial and error to get the best results for fishing success with all the distinct species under various environmental conditions.
[click here to display pictures]
La Paz
https://youtu.be/ghX9wrpOghc
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for Week of July 25 Aug 1, 2022
East Cape
Clear flat water from 84 to 86 degrees with usual afternoon SE breezes.
The air is pleasant and cool for late July, with highs in the low 90s.
The East Cape has had over six weeks of extraordinary fishing! This week’s report is very similar to the reports over the past month. Literally, every major gamefish this season has been biting aggressively! Billfish (stripers, sails, and blues), yellowfin tuna, big dorado, wahoo, huge roosterfish, and all the regular bottom fish are being taken or released daily! This is the best season of fishing I can recall!
The yellowfin tuna are under fast-moving pods of porpoise from 5 to 40 miles offshore. They are larger, from 7 to 40-pounds with limits for almost all anglers. They are taking bright Hoochies, Cedar plugs, and Tuna feathers. Most boats are getting multiple hookups with all lines taking fish.
The wahoo are from 20 to 70-pounds and were biting Rapalas and Marauders last week, they were on the inside drop-off between Punta Colorado and the Lighthouse. This week they are farther south off the white cliffs by Vinaramas.
Boats were getting lots of dorado this week, still catching the big solitary 50-plus pound bulls. There are many more school-sized fish, from 10 to 40-pound fish. Many of the dorado are biting within five miles off the beach, with a few tuna mixed in. Most were taken on trolled feathers and Hoochies, with some on live bait.
Anglers that limited early on the tuna were coming inside for the big roosters – up to 70 pounds. They are spread along East Cape’s beaches, but most are off the Lighthouse and around the corner in Rincon Bay. They are taking caballito and mullet, but quite a few are biting flies.
There has been a strong marlin bite with quite a few blues. The timing is good with the East Cape Bisbee starting this Wednesday. Our fleet Captains are tying into big billfish daily, with many break-offs and stripped reels. The best fishing is on the inside drop-offs, from three to seven miles off the beach. The blues are taking live skipjack and large trolled lures. There are lots of stripers and sails on slow-trolled ballyhoo.
A few boats are bottom-fishing for pargo, grouper, amberjack, and even a few nice-sized yellowtail – all are biting. Chunk skipjack, squid, live caballito and mullet are all working.
Another awesome week!!…John Ireland, Rancho Leonero
Puerto Los Cabos
Despite airports and Resorts being crowded, we are not seeing many anglers arriving at this time. Breezes from the south have helped keep summer conditions more comfortable. Though with Hurricane Frank paralleling the Baja Peninsula around 500 miles offshore, the humidity has increased, as well as bringing slightly larger swells over the weekend. The water temperature is ranging from 77 to 84 degrees, with cooler currents and clean blue water closer to shore.
Bait supplies consist of caballito, sardina and anchoveta, when surf conditions are not too large. Oher options are ballyhoo and slabs of squid. Fishing action has included surface action, as well as a mix of bottom species. No fish is found in abundance. The overall action is scattered. Chances at yellowfin tuna, though this option remains far offshore, out of normal range for morning charters, yellowfin associated with porpoise and average size ranged from 10 to 20 pounds.
Striped and blue marlin are being encountered on the usual grounds such as the 1150 Spot. Mixed-size dorado, including some bulls to over 50 pounds, were being caught. The majority taken while searching farther offshore, though some larger dorado were also accounted for closer to shore where juvenile dorado were found in small schools.
Wahoo are hard to entice, though a couple were taken on trolled lures. These fish are in the area but are finicky. Spear fishermen have much better results. On Saturday, a dive boat came in with 11wahoo up to 50-pounds. It sure would be nice if they changed regulations so the spear fishermen could harvest one fish of each species, and say, no more than three total. Something needs to be adjusted so that this area can sustain this type of pressure.
The inshore action begins to fade out at this time of year, but we still see a few late-season sierra, jack crevalle, and roosterfish. Locals have been surf fishing, but the bite has been tough recently, a few fortunate anglers landed snook, corvina, and tripletail. …Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas
Cabo San Lucas
Few things make us happier than a 50-pound dorado (Mahi) caught along with multiple billfish and yellowfin tuna on the same day! A few highlights from the weekend: Pisces 37′ BBII with two Mahi including this 50-pounder and big sailfish Released.
Pisces 35′ Bill Collector 2 with another Big Bull, yellowfin tuna, and Marlin Releases
Pisces 35′ Valerie with another 48-pounder and Pisces 35′ Knot Workin with more decent-grade tuna and marlin and four marlin Released! Pisces Sporfishing Fleet
That Baja Guy-Gary Graham
